Pretty Face
by A Shade of Green
Summary: Cho doesn't want to be just a pretty face. TwoShot ficlet.
1. Pretty Face

_Disclaimer- I own nothing, except the dumplings and the red wine vinaigrette._

A/N-_Hi there. I finally finished this little piece of fuzz, and I think it's one of the longest one-shots that I've ever written. I'm pretty proud of it, so I'd like some constructive critisism. Oh, and the ending is supposed to be that way. I'd like for you to guess what would happen next. So... Have fun reading, enjoy the story. Also, it's a bit wangsty and "Sob sob, poor me, I suck."

* * *

_Cho sighed as she saw the Post-It note on the refrigerator door. It was a pink heart, one of her mother's.

She plucked it off of the stainless steel door, crumpling it quickly and throwing towards the trash can. She missed, hitting the counter. Cho scrunched up her face, and decided to clean it later.

She didn't bother reading the note, because it always said the same thing. _"Cho, dear, I've a meeting tonight, so I won't be home till late, and Dad will be out golfing with his friends. Call his mobile if you need anything, and there's food in the fridge. Love, Mom."_

It happened at least twice a week, if not more. Her mother would be at some business meeting for her company, and her father would be working at the firm all day, going golfing with his friends after work.

When Cho was younger, maybe thirteen years old, her mother would arrange for her to go over one of her friend's house for the day. Cho had thought that it was a good arrangement, being able to get away from the house and her family, and being able to spend time with someone else's family instead.

Now, her mother thought she was too old to need to be babysat. There were no regrets from Cho's side, as she didn't really care for her friends anymore. Besides, she needed to find a job anyway.

The answering machine was flashing, so she pressed a button and made her way back to the fridge, searching its contents for a suitable breakfast.

'_Lunch, more like,'_ she thought, looking at the clock. It was well past eight o'clock, her normal waking time.

"_Hi dear, it's your mother. I'm so sorry, but I won't be able to make it home in time for dinner, so could you be a dear and make a meal for yourself and your father? If you have any plans, just go ahead and give him a ring to let him know if he'll be eating alone. Oh, and there are some fried dumplings left over from last night in the fridge. Try to finish them up, will you? Have a nice day and don't miss me too much. Bye!"_ the answering machine spat out. Cho, expecting this already, hit another button on the phone, calling her father.

She put him on speakerphone while she looked for the dumplings. _Ring, ring, ring_. At last, she discovered a plastic covered dish with her to be breakfast in it.

"_Hi Cho. What's up?"_ the phone asked. Her father actually picked up this time. She hadn't talked to him in what seemed like weeks.

"Hi Dad. Mom's not going to make it to dinner again, so I'm going out with some friends. Can you manage dinner yourself, or do you want me to make something and stick it in the fridge for you?" Cho replied.

"_Nah, it's ok. I can get it on my own, so have fun going out, ok? Did you find breakfast yet?"_ he told her.

"Yup, don't worry. Have a good day at work, and good luck with golfing," she said, and hung up on him before he could say anything. Putting a small portion of the dumplings on a smaller plate, she put it into the microwave for sixty seconds, and looked for the red wine vinaigrette that she ate them with.

She sighed, going through the pantry. It was always the same. Her family was always _so_ formal with each other, quick and meaningless conversations over the phone. There was never a long dinner, because someone always had to run off to do this, or that. There was never enough time for the three of them.

Two beeps revealed that the dumplings had been "nuked", as some of her Muggle friends had said years ago. She left them there, still looking for the dressing. Finally, she gave up, and took out her wand.

"_Accio dressing!_" she called out, and the bottle flew into her hands.

She wasn't supposed to do magic in the house, because her father said it made him feel so much more inferior. He was a muggle, her mother was a witch, and she was an adult. Or so she thought.

What was she doing? Seventeen and graduated from Hogwarts, top of the class, and still living in her parent's house. She still didn't have a job, the fact constantly in her mind because of her mother leaving the classified section of the paper every morning. She couldn't claim to be an adult.

She didn't even have any good friends. There were acquaintances and ex-boyfriends aplenty, but no one that she could confide in, or just hang out with without having to carefully apply her make-up and spending hours wondering what to wear.

Cho slowly chewed her food. She was just a pretty face, wasn't she? She had a good smile, a nicely shaped nose, and evenly spaced eyes. Some people called her beautiful, but she didn't really want that. She wanted people to know that she was from Ravenclaw. She wanted them to know that she was more than just a pretty face, more than a good shag. She was a person, with a good brain, with thoughts that didn't include clothing and make-up.

Why couldn't she be more like Hermione Granger? She was a smart girl, smarter than herself, even with the age difference. That girl was a smart one, and people knew that. She didn't see boys hitting on that girl at the most inopportune moment, right when she was close to solving a complex Arithmancy problem. She didn't see guys staring at her breasts during dinner, and she never heard any boys talking about what a great shag she was.

Not that she ever even shagged a guy. People like to spread rumors, and Cho often took the brunt of the damage that they knowingly caused. There were so many rumors when she was still at school... The worst were about Harry. He was a nice guy, and he really seemed to like her, so she went out with him. But then, she felt horribly guilt because it was as if she was cheating on Cedric, and besides, Harry was a year younger than her.

She chewed slowly, finishing the remains of last night's dinner. Going to the sink, she saw her reflection in the stainless steel refrigerator door. A pretty face, indeed.

Washing the dishes from her parents' breakfast, she let herself go. Soap, rinse. The suds covered her hands, but she didn't mind. Soap, rinse. She reached up to hang a pot, and the soapy water dripped down her arms.

Cho walked away, and got ready to go out. Not that she really ever went out with her friends. Typically, she went to see if there were any simple jobs that she could be hired for, and typically, there were never any.

Seeing her reflection in her mirror, she wanted to cry. Her mother got her the mirror long ago, perhaps when she turned eleven or twelve. It had three panels, and it showed three of her faces as she walked by.

She paused, looking at herself. Who _was_ she? That pretty girl in the mirror, or an intelligent mind? Was she a child, or an adult? Was she Cho Chang, with O's on her N.E.W.T.'s, or was she Cho, that hot chick sitting next to you?

She stared long and hard in that mirror. She wanted an _identity_. She wanted to be _someone_, and she was really going to do it.

On her way out of the house, she picked up the classified section of the newspaper.

_Like? Review!_


	2. Job Hunting

_Disclaimer- I do not own any part of Harry Potter, as it all belongs to J.K. Rowling._

_A/N- Wow, eh? Yes, it's true, I've finally done a good (at least in my opinion) multichapter story. Er, more like ficlet. Well, anyway, it's a bit too short for me, but I didn't REALLY write this for me. It's more for the people who wanted a second chapter, to see what happens to Cho. Well. I've spent a lot of time on this, and it's been in the works for more than a month. So, have fun, and try to review. And if not, go and check out my new oneshot, Siren. There's no need to review that one, because I like it enough.  
_

_Dedicated to you european boys. You make my day better by just looking at me._

She wanted to groan in frustration. Shout in anger. Screech in unfairness. Cry in fury. Bellow in... She really needed a thesaurus. 'Humph,' she thought. Forget the thesaurus, she needed a job.

Of all the jobs that she had applied for, she had gotten none of them, although she _did _get an offer for a sales girl, a store greeter, and something else unsavory.

She was not pleased.

She didn't even have a chance. The moment she handed in her application, quite literally, the manager would hand it back to her, saying that she wasn't quite what they needed. Bah, what did they know? They hadn't even looked at her recommendations, or her grades.

Even when she went to _Flourish & Blots_, with their badly understaffed store, they turned her away. One look at her shirt, one at her face, and it was an instant no.

Just what was so bad about pink anyway?

Blech. Blech, blech, blech.

Maybe books and literature just weren't for her career, though it was her forte.

Walking sadly towards the Leaky Cauldron to get a drink or two to end her day, she noticed a yellowing "Help Wanted" sign in a dirty window.

Looking up, the name of the store was _Slug & Jiggers_. From what she knew, it was a potion's supply shop.

That brought her back to Professor Snape's recommendation letter.

"Miss Chang has little talent, and brings even more lament to classes because of her textbook memorizations, causing much aggravation to all around her.

Her mother told her that it roughly translated into, "Intelligent and knows the procedures, along with a good amount of talent."

Potions had never been bad for her in school. Apart from Snape's intimidation, she rather liked it; seeing the ingredients mesh together to become something that could be helpful or a dangerous substance made her feel good inside. Well, not the dangerous substances, that made her extra cautious, but she still felt the warmth of completion.

She stepped into the store, carefully scanning the dark room and trying to ignore the eerie jangling of the bells above her.

Surrounding Cho were shelves filled with dusty jars and not so dusty pots. Two cauldrons sat next to the counter, bubbling happily away.

"Yes, yes, I'm here. Now miss, what do you need? A love potion? A cordial to create jealousy? Or perhaps you would like to make it yourself?" An old crone walked out of a seemingly hidden door. She had long sliver hair gathered up by an ancient looking hair clip. Her gray robes were stained by unidentifiable substances, and her short stature reminded Cho of a mouse. She tended to the cauldrons as Cho tried to find her voice.

"Uh, actually, I'm here to answer that sign outside," she mumbled nervously.

"What's that dearie? My ears aren't as great as they used to be. A tip for you, never grow old. Now pass me those pixie toenails, will you?" the woman said.

Cho gave the jar to the woman and said louder, "I-I'm here for a job."

"Job? What job? Do you mean that sign out there? Oh dear, that's been answered ages ago, although that person turned up no good. Too bad the dear melted his arm off; he shouldn't've been playing with that flesh melting solution. Now, I hope you're more durable than him..." she mumbled on, distracted by the potion.

"Uh, does that mean I get the job?" Cho asked nervously. She prayed that it would be hers...

"Job? Hmm... Is that what you were talking about? Well dear, if you think you can handle the position... Although you haven't even asked me the conditions and what people ask on interviews. Wait, aren't I supposed to ask the questions? Hmm..." she pondered over this.

"Here are my credentials and recommendations, along with some references. And I can answer any questions you have for me right now," Cho said, gaining confidence by the word.

The elderly lady tittered and tutted. "No need, no need. I can see you're trustworthy enough, and I doubt you would come in here if you were talent less. Though you will be doing hard work... Aren't you worried about dirtying your pretty little hands?"

"No! I'm not just pretty. My head is full of information, and these hands contain talent enough," Cho said defensively.

"No need to get defensive. I was just testing to make sure you're a good worker. Now get to work on that Skele-grow; St. Mungo's badly needs any extras it can get."

Cho smiled to herself. Perhaps she wasn't just a pretty face after all.


End file.
